Hush Big Brother
by Insert a Catchy Penname Here
Summary: Hush big brother, your heart will mend. We three won't be hurt again. Hush big brother, please don't cry. We'll be alright, you were born to fly...Sequel to 'Hush little Sister'
1. Prologue: Two little sisters

Hush big Brother 1

Author Note: Hey, guys! :D It's been FOREVER….and now it's FINALLY time for the long awaited sequel of **Hush little Sister**. I hope you guys continue to support me and love this story, and for this story, we'll be focusing on James. And now, without further ado….

ENJOY! :D

_XXXXXX_

_**4 years earlier….. **_

Eight year old James simply could not wrap his mind around the reality of what his life now was.

"Son, I want you to look after your two little sisters tonight," his father burped loudly as he tried to stumble his way out of the door, and the naturally adorable caramel-brown haired child widened his already big eyes.

"Two little sisters?" he didn't remember his Mommy ever giving him any brothers or sisters….

Laughing loudly, the not-sober man thrust open the door with fumbling fingers. Two women were in the doorway, and by the way they leaned heavily on each other, they weren't sober as well. Each of them had a little girl clinging to their leg, and both girls looked at James with big eyes.

"That our brother?" the little girl who looked about two asked the women she was attached too, and the other girl, who looked about five, blinked at him skeptically.

His father stumbled over the two women with a loud, annoying laugh, throwing his arms around both. They were both tall with wide, sexy hips, and they smelled of heavy perfume. The little boy watched as the first women, whom had short curly blonde hair and gray eyes, detached the infant from her half-dressed leg and thrust her forward.

The baby hit the ground her, and his father stumbled off with her just as she started to wail. The other women, the one who with long, unkempt red hair, messy make-up, and pale blue eyes detached her daughter from her leg and stumbled out on his father's other side.

James just stood there for a moment, frozen with shock. Were these supposed to be his sisters? Who were those two women? Where was his daddy going? And why were those women so undressed and feeling down his father's legs?

Then he was brought back to reality by the little girl's screams. He quickly shut the big wooden door, striding over to scoop her up. How was he going to hush her before somebody thought something was wrong and came over when his daddy was gone?

"It's okay…" he spoke in the same, low, soothing voice his daddy sometimes used on him, rocking her best he could in her arms…she was kind of heavy, "your mommy will come back soon."

She looked up to him with big, scared, brilliant blue eyes. She was pretty, too, with brown ringlets down her back and across her shoulders like curtains, and he smiled kindly. If she was his sister, he knew she'd be very beautiful one day ,like his mommy had…before she stopped showing up at home a lot.

The other girl looked at him with those same, brown skeptic eyes. She was pretty too, with eyes that were nothing like her mother's and straight red hair that slipped to her ankles. Both of them looked very unfed, and he pitied them. Were there mothers mean to them?

"So…you two are my sisters?" he asked softly to the five year old, hoping she knew the answer to this confusing situation.

"That's what Mommy said…" she pursed her lips, pushing her purple glasses on the bridge of her little nose, "but…do you have any food?"

Looking into the kitchen, the eight year old boy poured a glass of milk for the baby and put it in the microwave, trying to remember how to set it. Then he did his best to pour some ceral for the five year old girl and himself, since he was already nervous about using the microwave without permission.

"So…what're your names?" he asked as the baby drank out of the cup messily, since she wasn't used to no lids.

"My name's Emily," she replied from a mouthful of Frosted Flakes.

"I Brat," the baby spoke shyly, sticking her thumb in her mouth, and James winced. He'd been called brat by his father before, and he thought it was his name until his mother reminded him it was what it really was.

"That's not a nice name," then he smiled, "I think I'll name you Claire."

"Claire!" she echoed in a coo, and his heart melted for his two sisters. Even if they weren't by birth…he still loved them already.

_XXXXXX_

Author Note: Review, and you get Chapter One! ;D

~_**Lovers Love, Haters Hate, and Rushers ELAVATE!~ **_


	2. A little over a year ago

Hush big Brother 2

_**A little over a year ago...**_

Katie and Kendall had finally been freed from the burden that was their father.

They were now happily residing in Minnosida again with Jennifer Knight after quite a crazy adventure, (see **Hush little Sister**,) and James as well as Logan and Carlos were now in their homes once again.

It wasn't like eleven year old James wasn't happy for those two. Considering their physco father Carson, who would abuse them after he murdered their mother, kept their lives a living hell for most of their childhoods, they certainly deserved what they'd finally gotten after so long. While they were living with Ms. Knight, he was going to his home again after quite some time in L.A.

But he didn't have much pleasent to return too.

His father had been very naughty since his mother got so busy with her job and pretty much never around since he was eight. So he'd been forced to watch his own parent get married to two chicks at the same time, getting royally stoned every night with them, and stick him with Emily and Claire.

It wasn't like he didn't love him. Ever since the first night, he'd been as fiercley protective of them as Kendall was of his little sister. He refused to go anywhere with either wife of his dad unless they both went with him, and most of the time they were forced to fend for themselves while their parents traveled the world.

But when he went to L.A. with his big brother figure, he was forced to leave them behind. And since he couldn't bear to leave them with those three adult physco's, he left them in adoption home for far longer than expected and promised. When he was picked up by the Blonde wife and his father, (whom were halfway sober for once while the Redhead wife slept off a hangover,) he came back to a nasty surprise.

"You got a lot of nerve to put my daughter in an adoption center," the Blonde wife slapped him sharply across the cheek.

"When did you get her back?" he inquired icily, not afraid of this little slut who didn't care or love for her child and never would.

"A couple days ago...dunno what happened to Amy's girl, though," he was left alone with wide eyes and shattering heart. The redhead's name was Amy, and if they didn't know...that meant...

"Jaime!" Claire was suddenly running to him, attaching to his leg and burying her little face in his leg, crying her little heart out as her mother and his father stumbled into the room where Amy was sleeping, "E...Emily g-gone!"

He wrapped his arms around her small trembling form, burying his face in the five year old's hair and letting out a small sob. Emily, his little sister, was gone...and who knew when she'd be coming back...if at all?

* * *

_**In the present time... **_

James was turning twelve.

Claire was six.

And Emily was eight...but they didn't know where she was.

Even after a little over a year since he'd found out his oldest little sister was gone, the guilt still burned in his heart as if it was just when he'd found out. It was always there in the back in his mind, even if he never showed it to anyone. He'd managed to hide his home life from the other three guys by not inviting them over very much, telling them things were okay, and that Claire was just a girl from next door.

Now they were over at his house to celabrate his birthday. No adults were around now, which made his birthday about ten times better. It'd be better if Emily was there...he remembered sadly of the times they'd celabrate their birthdays with homemade cake and popcorn, sitting in front of the TV, just the three of them, watching old movies and laughing.

Yeah, those were the days...

"They're here, Jaime," little Claire cooed from where she was sitting on the couch, wearing a small striped birthday hat over her ringlets that were the legnth they'd always been, it clean and shiny now as her blue eyes twinkled.

"This is going to be real fun, Claire-Bear," he kissed her forehead gently, jumping down as he strode to open the door, "what's up, fellow hockey heads?"

"BIRTHDAY!" Carlos crowed, tackling him along with Kendall, and the trio went rolling as Logan laughed with Katie as James' plastic birthday hat was ruined forever by their weight.

"Nice to see you three idiots, too," the brunette grunted as somehow's elbow went into his ribs, pushing them off while trying to mess up his now tangled, once perfect hair.

"Hi, Katie," the two six year olds had found a friendship, and now James' secret sister was hugging her only friend.

"I missed you too, Clairey," Katie was being the sweetheart she was, hugging back to her best friend as holding up the two stuffed bunnies they always played with, "let's go play!"

"Yeah!" the two took off into James' room, simply because the guys didn't know Claire had a small closet room of her own that her big brother had given her once.

"Man, that little girl sure comes over a lot," Carlos commented as the four best friends flopped down on the couch, opening the bags of popcorn and jamming their forks into the cake eagerly.

"Do you looooove her?" Kendall teased lightly, and the oldest of the four stuck out his tongue maturley.

"Shut up, she just comes over, okay?" maybe...maybe one day he'd tell them...just not now.

Not on this day.


	3. Remembering family

Hush big Brother 3

Her little eyelids fluttered a bit as she dreamt on, even though he was know awake. He smiled to the little angel beside his daughters, watching his family sleep on as he laid there in his own bed.

They didn't have a lot. But they had enough to get them all by.

He saw her first, since she was closest to him on their bed to his own. Her normally straight red hair was tangled up and frizzy, and she had her cheek pressed against her older sister's, who was asleep under her, letting the smaller girl slept tucked under her arm. The older girl who his own daughter by birth with blonde hair that was always in curls, and then eyes that could still your heart with their dark blueness. Yes, thirteen-year-old Meslissa was quite a sight.

And then there was his youngest and second birth daughter, Cassidy, who was three years old. She was pressed against the back of the other young girl of the family whom he'd adopted, with her blonde hair still tied in two braids and her eyes shut tight in her sleep. He smiled at the three of them, sliding out of the bed and stretching out lazily.

The second oldest woke first, lifting her head a bit and yawning softly in her British accent, "Morning, Daddy."

"Good morning, Emily," he kissed the top of her forehead, and she smiled as she rested her small eight-year-old head on her big sister's chest once more, watching him the entire time with the stars in her sleepy brown eyes.

_XXXXXX_

"Yesterday was fun," Claire yawned from where she was still waking up on her big brother's chest, back in Minnosota.

"It sure was, Claire-Bear," he cooed, kissing her small nose and hugging her tight. The thought was in both of their minds, however: _It would've been better with Emily. _

"I miss her," her soft little girl voice was even softer now, sad and sounding almost depressed.

"I do too, baby sis," his eyes were starting to blur up as he tried to think of a way to make her happy again, for her not to worry when he felt like he should be the only one dealing with that kind of stress, "hey…want to go play with Katie?"

The six year old's face brightened just a bit, "Of course."

_XXXXX_

He stepped out into the cool South Dakoto air and stretched once more. Ugh, so cold….he just wanted to go right back in that house and curl under the sheets to warm up again. But he just rubbed his eyes, turning to kiss Meslissa's head and spin Cassidy around once lovingly.

"I'll try not to get in too late," he promised, and his oldest smiled as she pecked his cheek.

"It'll all be fine, Dad," she looked down to Emily, who was bouncing on her heels and more than likely thinking of the hot coco and popcorn the two of them would make when he was at work, "right, Em? Right, Cass?"

"Yes Daddy!" the two of them crowed together innocently enough, and he had to chuckle as he stepped out into the snow.

_XXXXX_

"Clairey!" Katie crowed, hugging her best friend tight and grinning her pumpkin grin, "I didn't know you were coming over!"

"Jaime said we could!" the other six-year-old giggled happily as they broke the hug, scurrying off to Katie's room and hopping on the bed eagerly, "what do you wanna play?"

"Let's play Lions!" the little sister of Kendall suggested innocently and happily, and the other squealed her delight.

"Okay! I'll be the Daddy lion!" for some reason, the little sister of James always preferred being the male in their games.

Maybe it was because of Carson Jones, Katie's abusive father, and Claire knew that it would bother her friend, even though she didn't know about that. Maybe it was because she just preferred being the hunter.

Or maybe it was because hers was never around.

_XXXXXX_

"He's cute," Mesliissa giggled at the boy a little younger than herself on the TV show _**Almost a Superstar**_. He was known as Kendall Knight, and…yes, she _did _think he was adorable.

Emily giggled with Cassidy, but as she sipped her coco and looked at his eyes, she couldn't help but think she saw someone familiar in the background….

_XXXXXXX_

Both young girls' squeals could be heard in the living room, where the two best friends were playing video games. Kendall couldn't help but notice his friend's eyes seemed a bit distant, and his curiousity screamed for him to ask. After all, they got like that sometimes….

He would regret not asking by nightfall.

_XXXXXX_

Emily hadn't forgotten her brother and sister.

After all….how could she of? He'd taken her in and protecting her from the start, and she was always sweet and hopeful when their mother's were not around, which was always. She missed them, but she'd had a feeling of abandment and rebellion from both of them when he put them in the foster home and Claire refused to be adopted by who was now her dad, Danny Sullivan.

But she missed James and Claire every day.

_XXXXXX_

"How about we have a sleep over tonight?" Ms. Jennifer Knight inquired to the two drowsy boys as it got darker later on.

"What is that?" the two asked as one, and as soon as they learned, both of their eyes brightened up a bit.

James stared at the phone a minute later, however. She told him to call his parents and ask for permission, and he was nervous. His dad wouldn't answer, and if he did….well, it would suck for him because he'd be drunk as hell.

"What's wrong?" Kendall mumbled as Jennifer went to tell the two girls, and he bit his lower lip.

"Just say I called him," he shut the cell phone, leaving his friend to be confused and worried the rest of the sleep over.

_XXXXXX_

Claire didn't know why James didn't tell Kendall about their father and mothers never being there. After all…she'd told Katie.

"Wow," Katie looked shocked, and her eyes were suddenly older as she hugged her best friend, "I know how you feel."

The six year old hugged her tight, smiling waterily, "It'll all be okay. You already taught me that, Katie Jo."

_XXXXXXX_

Kendall's eyes widened from where he was listening to the two after going to raid the kitchen. James had a _lot _of explaining to do….

_XXXXXX_

"Here he comes!" Cassidy crowed, and Emily jumped up with her older sister as they did a speed clean-up of the living room.

"Daddy!" Emily was the first to cry, running to hold his leg and looking up in surprise.

It wasn't their dad at all.


	4. Secrets and Abducters

Hush big Brother 4

"Who are you?" Melissa had small Cassidy in her grip as soon as she realized the man that had entered their room wasn't their father at all.

He had a facial structure that resembled the boy's face on **_Almost a Superstar,_**the Kendall Knight boy, but his eyes were a dark hazel, and his far was a little lighter. He's body was thin and weak-looking, but with his large stone knife and pick in grabbing reach on his other side, he was obviously dangerous. He held the knife up to the point where that, if he swung down fast enough, he could take out the three-year-old and injure the thirteen-year-old gripping her in an attempt to protect her.

"You're father will be very late coming in," the man spoke, voice low, demanding, and tight, "all three of you get on the floor on your stomachs. Now. You move, and I will split the back of your heads open. You speak or scream, I will kill you slowly and painfully. You three do exactly as I say, and you live one more day. Understand?"

And none of three replied, just got down on their stomachs, tears of fear, anger, and confusion pushing from all three of their eyes.

* * *

Danny Sullivan was furious.

No, he was beyond furious. He was ready to go murder everyone in the universe if that's what it took to get back to his three little girls.

_My fault..._he thought in a snarl as he fought hard against his constaints that held him to a chair by the wrists, ankles, and neck, _you damn fool, this is your fault! _

Somewhere in the back of mind where sanity and logic hide, he knew it wasn't, but that thought wasn't brought up as he fought to get free. He'd been heading home from work and nothing more, and that wasn't his fault, working to live. That was what people did to surrvive with families, of course.

But people didn't normally get kidnapped and constrained when doing so.

* * *

_***Flashback* **_

_He didn't have his gaurd up. _

_Why would he?_

_ He had his mind on diner for himself and his three daughters, and he had his mind on the bills and what he had to do the next day for his job resuing people from the mountain when need be. The past three weeks, things had been pretty uneventful, allowing him to relax a little on job as he filed claims and did various paperwork jobs, checking people into the mountain resort, things of that sort. _

_It actually took him a minute to realize he'd been tackled out of seemingly nowhere from the side. _

_The side of his face drove deep into the freezing snow, which brought him back into reality with a jerk. His eyes were wide with shock, his mind struggling to keep up with what was going on and what was now happened/what was about to happen as his wrists were bound behind his back, crossed with a sharp yank, and the same happened to his ankles, only they (thankfully) weren't now being his back. He felt his knees be constrained with what looked like a leather strap, and he gasped in air, since he couldn't breathe well when his mouth and nose were filled with snow powder, as he was rolled onto something solid. _

**_*Flashback time shift* _**

_Apparently he'd blacked out, because when he woke up, he was tied to a wooden chair. _

_His knees were still together with the leather strap, and his ankles were bound together and to the legs of the chair, which was awkward and quite uncomfortable. His wrists were bound behind his head, (also highly uncomfortable,) and his neck was tied with that rope back as well. His middle was strapped to the back of the chair, so he was quite securely bound. _

_"What the hell?" he slurred out, and then he caught sight of his abducter. _

_Dark hazel eyes, slightly lighter than dirty blonde/brown hair, and a evil smirk on his somehow attractive face, "Hello, Daniel Sullivan." ]_

_"How do you know my name?" he demanded, instantly enraged and starting to struggle before a pistol was pressed sharply into his chest. _

_"Oh, a person I know here, and phone call there, a couple of video cameras..." he shrugged with the smirk still on his face, "now, listen to me Daniel. How this is going to work is simple to follow, so don't try to make it more complicated than it already is. You will do what I say, and you will not die. Do not try to outsmart me, for I know all about you. Understand?" _

_"Damn you," the constrained man replied, "where are my children?" _

_"They are still at home, unaware of your whereabouts. I will know go pay them a visit, and I do believe it is wise if you wait patiently for me. If you try for escape, it is rest assured you will die. Do you understand me, Daniel?" _

_Throat dry, he replied lowly and bitterly in a voice beyond hatred and rage, "Yes."_

_"Good man," his abducter rose and set down the gun carefully on a shelf well out of arm's reach of the other, "I have a feeling we can get along quite well."_

**_*End flashback* _**

* * *

His attempts of his escape were failed, anyway. All he'd ended up doing was exhaust himself, and he sagged down, panting heavily, throat raw from growls and screams, muscles and bones aching from thrashing.

"I promise I'll come home, girls..." he moaned, "I promise...I'll live..."

* * *

"James..." Kendall began this as delicately as he could without dancing around the point too much, "is Claire your sister?"

The cameral-brown haired twelve year old looked up in surprise, and while his face showed innocence and confusion, his eyes showed horror and secrets beginning to unravel in his mind, "What? No, she's my-"

"Don't lie to me. I can see it your eyes," the blonde kept his voice as steady he took a catious step forward, trying to tuck away the feelings of slight betrayment and hurt feelings of never being told, the question still lingering in his mind as to whether or not he was truly trusted by one of his best friends.

The newly-turned twelve year old dropped his gaze and mumbled, "I don't know...how did...?"

"I overheard Claire talking to Katie," he replied, taking a few steps closer, "why didn't you tell me, James?"

"I didn't...I just...things were too hectic," he was obviously struggling to find any excuse he could when he had nowhere to hide his secret that was now wide-open.

"I told you about my father and my mother, about what Katie and I have been through,"

"But you didn't tell me or Carlos and Logan until you were already in deep,"

"So are you implying that you are, too? I'm going to ask you two questions, and if you are really my friend, you will answer them without excuses or lies to cover up these secrets you've been keeping. Is Claire your sister, and where is Emily?"

The two were standing right in front of each other now, and James was keeping his gaze down to his feet. He had the rag he'd been cleaning the kitchen with closed in a slightly shaking, sweaty fist at his side, which matched his other empty fist on his other side. A few tense, endless minutes passed between the two brother-figures of silence.

Kendall was just about to speak again when the other burst out, "Yes...and I don't know...where Emily is...damn it, it's all my fault...are you happy now, Knight?!"

As soon as he'd burst that out, he ran out of the kitchen, through the living room, threw open the apartment door, and ran out of the apartment, not slowing down once.

* * *

"Where Jamie go?" Claire her best friend curiously, and the two of them peered outside of his room, their eyes scanning the living room. Katie gasped and gave away the fact they were about to spy/eavesdrop the second she saw her brother on the couch, face pressed into his open palms, shaking with distress and sobs.

"Kenny...Kenny, what's wrong?" the six-year-old sat beside her big brother, taking his chin in two fingers and tilted it up to look at her. Tears slipped down his red face as he looked at her for a moment before shaking his head, turning his back to her and hiding his eyes in a red throwpillow.

Claire watched silently as her best friend shook her head, worry lining her face and eyes as she laid beside him on the couch, fitting pretty perfectly with her small frame. After a few minutes of him sobbing silently in the pillow, she put her hand on his lower back, stroking lightly for comfort. He tensed up a moment before turning his face to look at her with puffy light brown-hazel eyes, sniffling once openly and sitting up, balancing with one hand as she sat up herself beside him.

He sniffled again, shifting to sit back on the armrest of the couch as she crawled into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her face in his chest as he buried his face in her hair. He was still trembling a bit noiselessly as she patted his back gently, rubbing his lower back occasional and mumbling words of comfort the other six-year-old couldn't make out.

Sighing softly to herself from where she was still standing in the doorway, she made her way to the kitchen in hopes of finding her other old brother but to no avail. Frowning deeper, she suddenly noticed the wide-open door and went wide-eyed.

"Jaime?" this had happened once before...she had a good feeling where her sibling was.

If Kendall and Katie noticed, they didn't show it as Claire rushed out of the apartment door herself.

* * *

He was slightly amused with himself.

It had been easy. Almost childishly easy, like tying a shoe easy. All it was a matter of stealth and timing on his part to capture the tempermental Daniel Sullivan, and his daughters were so young, they were easy to control.

This would be easy, but he was going to make sure it wasn't boring, having this family of four under his power.

He knew the most about the middle daughter, the one that wasn't really Daniel's daughter. (By birth, anyway.) She was James Maslow's 'little sister', and he knew James Maslow from Kendall Knight.

And he knew Kendall Knight from his brother, his brother who abused Kendall and his little sister, Katie Knight, his brother who distanced himself in his insanity he'd been captured by after murdering his wife, his brother who committed suicide after capturing and abusing his children and their friends.

Carson Jones was now dead because of his children...

And now Henry Jones wanted revenge.

And what better way to do it than capturing James Maslow, his best friend, and eventaully his other two best friends?

To do that, he was going to capture James' 'little sister' and her family. That would lead James and possibly his other little sister to them, which would lead Kendall and Katie to find them.

And then the _real _fun would begin.

* * *

Author Note: I deeply aplogize for the long update wait...I went into, like, Hunger Games obsess mode for a while there. But I'm BACK, BABY! Expect updates to be more frequent, but since I'm in school, they won't be constant. But I will do my best while juggling other unfinished stories, I promise :)

Reviews always help! :D

P.S. By that last line, I promise I am not some kind of crazy sicko. Henry Jones is, and I was centricing on him a little, so...yeah :D


	5. What's going to happen now?

Hush Big Brother 4

Author Note: *Looks at the last time I updated*

...Wow, I'm a horrible updater :(

* * *

Sure enough, James was hiding underneath the small bridge that led across the frozen lake in the park.

Her feet slipped as she rushed to him, snow powder flying everywhere in her scramble. The small six-year-old was terrified that she wouldn't ever be able to find her brother, so knowing she'd come to the right place was extremely relieving. He didn't look up as she gasped, bolting to his side and pressing herself to his cold form, even though he did tense a bit.

"Claire, what are you doing here?" he mumbled with a shiver, his eyes flickering to her relieved face for only a moment before he tried to turn away.

"I don't want you to be gone forever and ever without me," she frowned, her pure heart and honesty making her eyes shine with hot tears, "Jaime, were you trying to leave me?"

"Of course not, Claire-Bear," he looked to her now, her tears breaking his heart hard, "I just...Kendall and I had an argument."

"What about?" she frowned hard, "are you goin stop being friends?"

Sighing to himself, the twelve-year-old pulled the youth closer to his chest and rested his face on the top of her head, trying to hide his own tears, "I sure hope not..

_***Line break*** _

* * *

Melissa had never been more protective, sad, or angry in her life...especially all at one time.

But ontop of all of those raging emotions, she also felt more exposed than she already was. Henry had already left them alone in their lodge-apartment home, even though they were all locked inside and the phone line was cut, but she was still petrified and felt completely alone/overwhelmed. Cassidy was still crying, hiding behind some heavy curtains, and Emily was downright frozen; she was sitting on the couch, her knees pulled to her chest and eyes shiny, fear all over her face. Having given up on trying to get through to either of them at this point, the thirteen-year-old beauty recalled the last time she'd felt this way.

It was an infamous day for both her and her father, really.

Cassidy was barely a year old when Lucy Sullivan, the two girl's mother, was involved in an avalanche that killed five other people. When her father found out, he'd been in absoute denial and stormed out of their home to get drunk, which he'd never done before. Melissa was left to try and take care of the baby best she could while trying to deal with the shock, denial, grief, and emptiness of losing her mother.

_She was just here this morning, _she remembered thinking, _how could she be dead?_

When he'd returned, her father had aplogized repeatidley and they'd held each other close, which had signaling forgiveness on both sides. Since said day, Danny Sullivan had been the best mother_ and _father he could possibly be, which the thirteen-year-old really appriciated. It had been a little over a year ago that he'd decided to adopt another child in attempt to fill the empty void left in the family, and that was why they now had Emily, even though she was from Minnosta.

And yet now, even when two others around, Melissa felt completely alone.

* * *

Emily was terrified, of course.

Who wouldn't be?

She had a haunting feeling she should know this man from somewhere before, and not just because he looked similar to the boy on the show **_Almost a_ Superstar**. She felt like, somehow, she was supposed to know him because, somehow, he was going to play a bigger part of her life, even bigger than what he was doing to her and her sisters now.

_Her sisters. _

She loved Melissa and Cassidy as if she'd been born into the family, even though her British accent made her stand out from the rest of the family. But her heart ached for something else, for bonds even deeper running than the three girl's dead.

_James. Claire._

Words could not possibly even begin to describe how much she missed them, how much she ached for them everyday. Claire was extroverted and bubbly, and when they'd first met as one/five year olds, she'd instantly taken up the job of protecting the beautiful little cutie. Kind of exchange, James was_ her _protector, her prince charming, even if she hadn't trusted him- or anyone, really- in the beginning.

It was no secret the eight-year-old loved and missed them, but there really wasn't much she could do about it. So, instead, she was going to have to try and save her new family somehow.

* * *

Henry was amused at the sight waiting for him when he stepped into the shack.

Danny Sullivan hadbee struggling again with trying to get free, but he'd obviously failed. Now he slumped in the chair he was constrained too, his wrists and ankles bloody and his face coated in sweat. Smirking to himself, the free man slapped his face sharp, making her other jump and even fall back in his chair, crashing to the floor and causing bleeding.

"You bastard..." the constrained snarled, and the other laughed darkly.

_Bastard doesn't even begin to describe it..._

* * *

Kendall knew what it was like to keep secrets.

He'd certainly kept his share, at any rate. He was well aware of what it was like to be afraid to open up for fear to be closed out; he knew what it was like for your trust for those you trust the most to waver. He knew what it was like to lie, to love and lose, and to wonder if surrving would be the best option for everyone else around you, even if he _was _only eleven.

So he wasn't going to blame James.

"Is he okay?" Katie whispered to the other girl as the two stepped back inside the heated apartment, both shivering pretty hard from the cold.

"Yeah, he's fine," Claire smied assuringly, the two of them heading back into Katie's room as the two preteen boys sat down on the couch, facing each other and disregarding the news.

"Sorry for lying, man," James sighed first, looking at his lap, "I should've have kept-"

"I forgve you," Kendall cut off assuringly, "I mean, I should've have kept my father from you or the other guys. I guess...we all just screw up sometimes. But I need you to know you can trust me."

He hiestated, then asked quietly, "Do you trust me, K-Dog?"

"...Yeah. I do."

* * *

"Emily?"

Cassidy was trembling as she looked to her youngest older sister, and even the soft look from her didn't put the three-year-old at ease. She didn't have any idea of what was going on or what was to happen to them, but she did know she missed her father and that she was very scared. The second Emily picked her up, she started crying all over again into her shoulder, clinging for dear life as Melissa hide away in her room, her crying echoing just like her own.

"I w-wa-want..." she hiccuped, "I want M-Mo-Mommy!"

* * *

The seven year's gaze darkened instantly as she thought of her own mother. A couple of old memories started reasurfacing, her sisters' cries numbly registering in her mind as she slowly slipped back into her own past.


End file.
